Music

Video: Kanye West Rapping at 19-Years-Old

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The 37-year-old rap superstar was just another wannabe-emcee in 1996 when he appeared at Fat Beats record store in New York City. To get his name out, Kanye West would perform at places around the country in hopes of being discovered.

Store manager DJ Eclipse captured video of West taking the mic in August 1996 where he talks about living in Chicago, his rapping technique and even Alanis Morissette.

The description of the video states West performed at the grand opening of the 406 6th Ave. location during the height of Fat Beats’ success. He says he started converting old Hi8 video tapes to DVD and ran across West’s performance. He also states Xzibit was on deck that day as well.

Kanye West wasn’t a household name until his production on JAY Z’s 2001 single “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and his debut albumThe College Dropout dropped in 2004.